1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a cartridge which accommodates a recording medium, and more specifically relates to a recording medium cartridge which is provided with a write-protect portion which switches a state of the cartridge between a mode which enables recording to the accommodated recording medium and a mode which disables recording.
2. Description of the Related Art
Cartridges which accommodate a recording medium in a case are widely used. Such cartridges are often accommodated in a library or the like. Because of requirements for taking a cartridge out from the library or the like, an angled surface is often formed by cutting away an edge portion at a case back face side (case rear side) of the cartridge. (For example, the angled surface may have a form corresponding to cutting away an edge portion at which a back face and a lower face of a lower case would otherwise have intersected.)
In such a case, the area of a xe2x80x9clabel areaxe2x80x9d at the back face side of the case, which is a portion of an outer side of a case rear wall, and which is continuous with the angled surface and orthogonal to an upper face and a lower face of the case, is reduced. Accordingly, if a write-protect portion, which prevents accidental erasure of data recorded on the recording medium, is provided at the back face side of the case, an opening which structures the write-protect portion must be formed in the rear wall of the case, and the label area becomes even smaller. Accordingly, there are also cartridges in which the write-protect portion is provided not at the back face side of the case but at a front face side or a side face side thereof.
However, in a state in which a cartridge is accommodated in a library, a user can only observe the back face side of the cartridge. Therefore, there has been a problem in that users cannot determine by visual inspection whether a cartridge accommodated in a library is in a recording-enabled state or in a recording-disabled state.
In consideration of the circumstances described above, an object of the present invention is to provide a cartridge with which a user can determine whether the cartridge is in a recording-enabled state or a recording-disabled state by observing a back face side of the cartridge, without a label area being reduced, even when an angled surface is formed at the cartridge back face side.
A first aspect of the present invention is a cartridge for accommodating a recording medium, the cartridge being loadable in a predetermined direction at a drive device, and being selectively switchable between at least two modes, one of the modes allowing writing of information to the recording medium, and another of the modes prohibiting writing of information to the recording medium, the cartridge comprising: a case for accommodating the recording medium and including an outer wall face at a rear end of the case relative to the predetermined direction of loading and an angled face adjacent to the outer wall face, the angled face including an opening; and a switching member for switching between the modes, the switching member including an operation portion for the switching, the operation portion being exposed through the opening.
The case further includes an upper outer face and a lower outer face, and the angled face is formed at a boundary region between the rear end outer wall face and one of the upper outer face and the lower outer face. The switching member is provided so as to be slideable along the angled face, and switches between the modes by being slid.
Hereinafter, references to a rear end side or back end side in the present specification mean a side facing in a direction opposite to a direction of loading when the cartridge is inserted at a drive device at which the cartridge is loadable or at an accommodation shelf in a library or the like, that is, a rear end side of the cartridge.
According to the first aspect of the present invention, even though the angled surface is formed at the rear end side of the case, because the opening is formed in the angled surface, a user can visually inspect the back face side and judge whether the cartridge is in a recording-enabled state or a recording-disabled state, even though the label area of the outer side of the case rear wall, which label area is orthogonal to the case upper face and lower face and is continuous with the angled surface, is not reduced in size. Therefore, even if the cartridge is in a state of accommodation in a library, the user can easily determine whether the cartridge is in the recording-enabled state or the recording-disabled state by observing the back face side of the cartridge.
Further, because the operation portion is exposed through the opening, the operation portion can be easily switched between the recording-enabled state and the recording-disabled state by application of a movement force to the operation portion.